


Cuddle Buddies

by Varewulf



Category: BanG Dream! (Anime), BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: Cuddling, Fluff, Hagumi is a nice girl, Multi, PolyPa, Yuri, platonic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-15
Updated: 2019-01-15
Packaged: 2019-10-10 17:33:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17430407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Varewulf/pseuds/Varewulf
Summary: Hagumi has a close cuddly relationship with Popipa, as they look after her.





	Cuddle Buddies

**Author's Note:**

> This originally started as merely a Hagumi/Tae platonic ship fic, but it morphed into all of Popipa looking after Hagumi. Though the Tae bit is still the longest as a result.
> 
> To be honest, I have a hard time seeing Hagumi as sexually or romantically involved with anyone, but I like the idea of her having a close platonic cuddle relationship with people. In this case all of Popipa. The idea is that of course she does things with HHW, and has a lot of fun with them, but Popipa can provide something different for her. They'd let her be a little closer than most friends.
> 
> I'm aware Hagumi is not really the favourite girl of very many people, but I think she deserves a lot of love. So it makes sense to me that the Popipa members; Kasumi, Saaya, and Tae especially; would look after her. For being one of the most cheerful Bandori girls, Hagumi has one of the darkest backstories considering her family situation, and how it has affected her self-image.

Kitazawa Hagumi rang the doorbell, and waited. She was feeling a little anxious. Maybe no one was home. Maybe it was a bad time. Maybe-

Her thoughts got interrupted as the door opened. It was the mother of the household.

"Hello, Hanazono-san," Hagumi said, more timidly than you might expect of her.

"Hagumi-chan! Come in." Tae's mother greeted Hagumi with a warm smile. "Tae's in her room. I haven't heard the guitar, so she's probably either sleeping, or doing her homework."

Hagumi didn't take off her shoes right away. "If it's a bad time..."

"No no, of course not. Go right ahead." She shut the door behind Hagumi. "Would you like something to eat?"

"No, I brought some," Hagumi said, holding up the bag of croquettes she had taken along with her.

"Okay then. Just go wake up Tae, and I'll get you something to drink." The woman turned around, then stopped, and turned back. "Actually, can I have one?"

Hagumi smiled. Tae and her mother were very much cut from the same cloth. She felt a little better already just from coming here. "Of course!" She opened the bag, and Tae's mother grabbed a croquette with impressive speed.

"Thank you," she said, and stuck it in her mouth right away before heading towards the kitchen.

Hagumi headed for Tae's room. Sometimes she wished she resembled her own mother that much. Maybe that would have made life easier.

She knocked on the door, but there was no response. Perhaps Tae really was sleeping. Hagumi considered turning back again, but reminded herself that it wasn't uncommon for Tae to not respond. So she carefully opened the door, and looked inside. "O-Tae?"

The lights were on, and Tae was actually not sleeping. She had her headphones on, and seemed to be doing her homework. Hagumi pushed the door open further, and Tae looked towards her.

"Hagumi?"

"O-Tae."

Tae's expression got quite puzzled. She opened her mouth, then closed it. A moment later she reached up, and touched her headphones. The confusion on her face faded, and she lifted the headphones off.

"Oh right, I'm listening to music," Tae said, seemingly as much to herself as to Hagumi. "Sorry about that."

"Am I intruding?" Hagumi asked. She still stood in the doorway.

"I don't think so... did you break in?" Tae asked back.

Hagumi shook her head.

"Then no." Tae nodded in apparent satisfaction. "What's up?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing," Hagumi replied, and rubbed her hand. "Just wanted to come over."

Tae noticed the bag. "You brought croquettes?"

"Yeah."

"Can I have one?"

"Yeah."

"Feed me." Tae closed her eyes, and opened her mouth.

Hagumi giggled a little, and finally stepped into the room. People said Tae was a little odd, but Hagumi found that part of her comforting. Her bandmates could be called a little odd too. Not to mention herself. She took a croquette out of the bag, and put it in Tae's mouth, who bit down immediately.

"Mmmm, sho good~." Tae's eyes were still closed in an expression of bliss.

"I helped make them," Hagumi said with with a note of pride. Their croquettes were the best in town, after all. Maybe the best in all of Tokyo.

Tae took the rest of the croquette, and basically shoved it into her mouth. Food always seemed to be the easiest way to make Tae happy, besides music. As she was chewing, she looked at Hagumi, and her eyebrows furrowed a little. She swallowed, and asked: "Do you want to pet the bunnies?"

After a moment's pause, Hagumi nodded.

...

Back in the rabbit pen, Hagumi sat with a bunny in her lap. It was extremely soft, and felt nice to pet.

Tae sat right behind her. She had brought a brush, but not to use on the bunnies. Instead she was brushing Hagumi's hair with gentle strokes. Hagumi wasn't sure why petting the bunnies always turned into her being petted too, but it felt nice. Tae was good with a brush.

"You okay?" Tae asked.

"Yeah."

"Truly?"

Hagumi paused. Could Tae tell something was up? She could be pretty smart. And Hagumi didn't really feel okay. She'd had a rough day, and wasn't even sure why she made any attempt to deny it.

"O-Tae... would you like me better if I was more like a girl?" Hagumi asked.

"Hm? You _are_ a girl," Tae said quite simply.

"But wouldn't it be better if I was more girly?"

"I don't know what you mean." Tae scooted to the side a little to get a better view of where she was brushing. "You're one of the girliest girls I know."

Hagumi didn't believe that. "But I'm so noisy. And I do sports."

"Well, Kasumi and Arisa are also noisy, and I'm pretty sure they're still girls." Tae paused to pick up a bunny that had hopped close, and placed that in Hagumi's lap alongside the one that was already there. "And Himari and Lisa-san do sports."

Hagumi didn't know the Haneoka girls that well yet, but she knew that Himari played tennis. Misaki had mentioned it. And she had met Lisa through Kaoru. But... "Is dancing a sport?"

"Isn't it?"

Hagumi realised she wasn't sure. There was a lot of moving around. so maybe.

"Besides, you're cute," Tae added.

Hagumi was feeling better. But not entirely. "Is it okay for me to be cute?" she felt the need to ask.

"Yes. Why wouldn't it be?"

"I don't know..."

"I know! We'll ask Saaya to find some accessories for you. Then you'll see."

"For me?"

"Yup. Tomorrow." Tae seemed quite determined all of a sudden.

Hagumi liked cute things. She just didn't think they suited her. But part of her had always wanted to ask Saaya for something like that. She just hadn't had the nerve to do it on her own.

"Okay!" She leaned against Tae. "Thank you, O-Tae."

"Hm? I haven't done anything yet."

"Yes, you have."

"Oh. That's good, then."

Tae sounded happy, and Hagumi felt much better. Maybe being true to herself wasn't a bad thing. Being hugged and petted was definitely a good thing.

* * *

"Hagu!"

That was all Hagumi heard before someone hugged her close. She knew immediately who it was.

"Kaa-kun!"

Hagumi hugged back.

"Mmm, you're still so soft~," Kasumi said in a cheerful tone as she nuzzled Hagumi's hair.

Hagumi and Kasumi had known each other as kids, and been frequent playmates, but had been separated by going to different schools. Until they ended up in the same class again in high school. Hagumi hadn't recognised her at first since she had changed her hair, but once they realised who the other was, it was like nothing had changed between them at all. Well, maybe Kasumi had gotten more cuddly since then, but Hagumi didn't mind that bit.

"Kaa-kun, can you help out with softball practice today?" Hagumi asked. Something infectious was going around, and three team members were out sick. Kasumi wasn't part of any club, and could be relied on.

"Eh? I'm not exactly the best player, Hagu," Kasumi said.

"But your energy is so uplifting! Everyone feels better when you're there." Even if she wasn't as good a player, Kasumi was one of the few people able to keep up with Hagumi.

Kasumi blushed. "W-well, when you put it like that, how can I say no? I'll come along!"

"Yay!" Hagumi squeezed Kasumi tighter.

Then Hagumi heard a voice behind her:

"What's this? Are we hugging?"

"Yeah, join in, Eve-chan!" Kasumi said.

"Okay!"

Eve was another new classmate for Hagumi. Apparently she was from another country that Hagumi hadn't heard of. She was tall, pale, and pretty. And very into hugs.

"Huuuuug~." She squeezed them both tight.

"Me too!"

Another person jumped onto the pile.

"Kokoron!"

Kokoro was part of Hagumi's band. And at about the same energy level as Hagumi and Kasumi. A lot had happened to Hagumi since starting high school. New friends, old friends coming back, and maybe most excitingly: joining a band! Their aim was to make the whole world smile. With Kokoro, Kaoru, Kanon, Michelle, and Misaki; Hagumi thought it was possible for them to pull it off.

Her life was a lot more interesting these days.

* * *

Hagumi went to answer the door.

"Hello, Hagumi."

"Saaya!"

Hagumi hadn't been expecting anyone, but Saaya was always welcome.

"How are you doing?" Saaya asked as she took off her coat.

"I'm good!" Hagumi answered. It had been a busy day at the shop, and the customers had been nice. They had said good things about the croquettes that Hagumi had made herself, which always felt good. Her father had been proud of her.

"That's good to hear," Saaya said, and smiled. "Oh! I brought your favourite pastries." She took a paper bag out of her handbag, and Hagumi could smell them immediately. Maybe they were still warm.

"You're the best, Saaya!" Hagumi said, and hugged her.

Saaya felt a bit like an older sister to Hagumi. Not that she had an actual older sister to compare her to, but she imagined this was what it would be like. They were the same age, but Saaya seemed much more mature. Not to mention patient, and caring. Though Saaya _did_ have little siblings, Sana and Jun. So she had probably learned it that way. Hagumi had helped babysit them occasionally. It was fun.

Saaya patted her on the head. "And your parents?" she asked.

"Hm? Well, dad has been pretty busy." The cold weather seemed to make people want warm croquettes even more, and the rest of the business was going steady. "And mom has been... we went shopping together yesterday! That was fun." Hagumi preferred to focus on those sorts of things.

"I see..."

Hagumi wasn't entirely sure what Saaya meant whenever she said that.

"Oh, I almost forgot! Have you done your homework?" Saaya asked.

"Urgh." Hagumi didn't like that word. "W-well..."

Saaya giggled softly. "It's okay, I haven't done mine yet either," she said. "But I brought it along, so let's do it together."

"Oh. Okay!"

That was much better than doing it alone. Hagumi had a hard time focusing properly on schoolwork. It was like her brain didn't want to pay attention to it, no matter how hard she tried. And everyone just kept telling her to try harder when she complained. But having someone like Saaya to do it with made it much easier. It was like she knew exactly what to say to make Hagumi understand it better.

Sometimes Hagumi wondered what it would have been like to be part of Saaya's family instead of her own. She felt guilty about those thoughts, but they still popped up occasionally.

"You smell good, Saaya," Hagumi said.

"People keep telling me that," Saaya said, and giggled again.

* * *

"There we go~," Saaya said.

Hagumi looked at her freshly pink nails. "Is this okay?" she asked.

"It looks super cute, Hagu!" Kasumi said.

"Yeah, but..."

"I think it suits you, Hagumi-chan," Rimi said.

"Really?"

Everyone around her nodded.

Hagumi blushed. "Hehe, thank you~."

It was sleepover night at Tae's place. Poppin' Party were together a lot, and sometimes Hagumi got invited to come along too. She also did sleepovers with Hello, Happy World, usually at Kokoro's place, but for some reason it always felt different to join Popipa for theirs. They did different things, and it felt... cosier. That was probably the best word for it.

This time Saaya had asked her if she wanted to have her nails painted. At first she hadn't been sure it was okay, but the others had encouraged her, so she had agreed. She still wasn't entirely sure if something like that was okay on someone like her, but there was this strange, warm feeling in her chest when she looked at the result. She liked cute things. Maybe it was okay sometimes. A little. It wasn't like she could go to school like this, or play softball with it. But maybe here it was okay. No one else would know, and she wouldn't get in trouble.

"Do you like it?" Saaya asked.

Hagumi moved her hand slowly to look at it from different angles. "Yeah," she replied.

"It should dry quickly, but be careful anyway," Saaya said, and put the small bottle away. "We should remove it before bed." She paused. "Or do you want me to put on a top coat so it can stay until morning?"

"Uh..." Hagumi had been thinking it was a shame to take it off again so quickly, as it was only a few hours left until bedtime. But she hadn't been aware that it was possible to keep it longer. If it was only until tomorrow, and they could take it off before she went home... "Y-yes," she said.

...

"Okay, movie time!" Kasumi declared once all six of them had brushed their teeth, and gotten ready for bed.

"What are we watching?" Arisa asked.

"Don't worry, Rimi-rin didn't get to pick," Kasumi said, and winked.

"Hey, you didn't have to say that!" Rimi protested, and pouted. But she was the only one who thought that watching a horror movie before bed was a good idea.

"It's a movie Yukina-senpai recommended to me. Though I don't really know anything except that it contains cats," Kasumi explained.

They all huddled together in a big pile, as was tradition. Arisa and Hagumi got stuffed into the middle, with Kasumi on Arisa's side, Rimi on Hagumi's, and Saaya and Tae snuggled in from behind. Arisa protested a little about being boxed in, but she seemed to make herself comfortable soon enough regardless. With some warm blankets draped over them, they were ready.

The movie was very relaxing. Not a lot happened, which was probably for the best as they were about to go to sleep anyway. Rimi was the first to nod off, as Hagumi felt her go limp against her. Arisa was next, and then it seemed like Kasumi also fell asleep. Next thing Hagumi knew, it was morning.

Someone had moved all of them into their respective futons, though Arisa was sleeping halfway on top of Tae. She had a tendency of moving around in her sleep.

It had been a pretty chill sleepover, but Hagumi still thought it had been fun. It was always a shame when it was over, but she had to go home briefly before meeting the rest of the band later for practice. It was also a shame to see the nail polish go away. The nail polish remover smelled really strongly. But they could do it again sometime. She was already looking forward to it.

But before the day got properly started, she was joining Tae for her morning run. Kasumi was coming along too, but the others opted out. Hagumi didn't really understand why, but also thought it wasn't right to try to force them. Everyone was different, after all. They should do what made them happy. She tried to keep that in mind for herself, as well.

**Author's Note:**

> Idea I left out because I couldn't really make a whole scene of it: Rimi helping Hagumi practice the bass, since Hagumi only has experience with the guitar. Arisa might not know what she could provide herself, but I think she would approve of what the others were doing.
> 
> I'm still running with the "Popipa are a polyamorous band" concept, but in my mind they would rein themselves in around Hagumi, and keep sleepovers from progressing beyond the cuddle stage when she took part. What they do when she's not around is not the point of this fic. :3


End file.
